The A-Team ** (2010, Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley, Patrick Wilson) – Classic Movie Review 3844

Much, much worse than the movies of other classic TV shows Mission: Impossible or Charlie’s Angels, The A-Team TV movie spinoff is total nonsense, of course. But what else can you expect? The A-Team is The A-Team.

If director Joe Carnahan’s 2010 movie is like stitched-together episodes of the 1983-87 TV show on a much bigger budget, that’s what the fans would want. And at least decent stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel and Sharlto Copley look as if they know what to do to survive it.

But WWE superstar Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson seems very uncomfortable and doesn’t look right as the Mr T character, Bosco ‘BA’ Baracus. And its says a lot that the very good and classy actor Patrick Wilson seems quite bad as baddie Lynch (or is he?).

The action is way over CGI-ed, making a preposterous movie seem even sillier, especially in the explosive non-stop action of the last half-hour. Nevertheless, it motors on its intense sequences of action and violence throughout.

Though you think he should be doing classier work, Neeson coasts through it all unscathed, if a bit unengaged, while Cooper is way over-engaged, smirking and mugging, in between taking his shirt off. OK, already Cooper, you’ve got a great torso, so what else is new, you’re funny? Maybe not. But then District Nine’s Copley does earn his laughs as the crazy Murdock.

The unsurprising plot is taken from the old series, so at least it keeps the faith with The A-Team lore: four Iraq War veterans, framed for a crime, try to clear their name with the US military.

If the movie has a dated feel, that is probably because it was years in development.

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© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3844

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